snow days and work outside the home parents - what do you do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

It is unetheical and if you work for the federal government may illegal to bill hours without childcare for young children.

But this thread is about elementary age children. I'm a fed and I'm not aware of any rule regarding not being able to telework with elementary age children. Teleworking with a 6 year old is vastly different from teleworking with an infant/toddler/preschooler.

I wasn't aware they differentiated by age when it comes to child care. Do they? It would make sense, I guess, but I have a 6 year old and he's not exactly independent! And not vastly different from a preschooler (preschool ends at 4/5).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

It is unetheical and if you work for the federal government may illegal to bill hours without childcare for young children.

But this thread is about elementary age children. I'm a fed and I'm not aware of any rule regarding not being able to telework with elementary age children. Teleworking with a 6 year old is vastly different from teleworking with an infant/toddler/preschooler.

I wasn't aware they differentiated by age when it comes to child care. Do they? It would make sense, I guess, but I have a 6 year old and he's not exactly independent! And not vastly different from a preschooler (preschool ends at 4/5).

I assume that if you need to be home with the kid, you can't officially work from home on snow days. But if it's a liberal leave/unscheduled telework day, maybe you can fudge it. Or, if you have an understanding boss, maybe you can do some telework and take some leave.

When my kids were littler, I went through a LOT of annual leave between kid illnesses and school closings. My kids would wonder about why their friends got to go on such long vacations in the summer and over holiday breaks, and I would explain that my leave had been eaten up by strep and snow days.

It's easier now. Hang in there!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

It is unetheical and if you work for the federal government may illegal to bill hours without childcare for young children.

But this thread is about elementary age children. I'm a fed and I'm not aware of any rule regarding not being able to telework with elementary age children. Teleworking with a 6 year old is vastly different from teleworking with an infant/toddler/preschooler.

I wasn't aware they differentiated by age when it comes to child care. Do they? It would make sense, I guess, but I have a 6 year old and he's not exactly independent! And not vastly different from a preschooler (preschool ends at 4/5).

I'm a fed too and our agreement also doesn't define what a child is. I wish it would be a little more specific. As of now, with kids 4 and 6, I take leave rather than trying to work.

[Anonymous]

I wasn't aware they differentiated by age when it comes to child care. Do they?

20:09 here. I've worked at 2 different agencies. One explicitly stated in their telework policy that you needed child care to telework if you had non-school age children. My current agency does not have any such restrictions in their telework policy. In fact, the lame telework training video includes allowing employees flexibility in child care arrangements as an example of a benefit of telework. I know many people at many agency openly telework on days when their kids are sick or during school closings. It's not a hidden thing. Branch chiefs and ADCs do it too.

My kids are now 8 and 10. I can and have had conference calls with them home and also done all manner of work. Occasionally I'll turn on a TV show for them or get them a snack. In terms of lost time, I don't see how that is any different from getting a coffee from the break room or chatting with a co-worker about sports.

[Anonymous]

*my agency, not "many agency".

[Anonymous]

I'm 22:54 - I do not work for the government. I work for an organization where lots of folks have small children. On normal telecommute days, we all absolutely have child care, and we book 8 hours of work. On snow days, the rules are different - everyone knows that we are just doing whatever we can. We do whatever work we can, we book that time as teleworking, and the other hours are booked as leave.

It's the same when people are sick - if you're contagious and can't come into work, you can work from home and you book whatever hours you actually work to work and other (nap) hours to sick.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm 22:54 - I do not work for the government. I work for an organization where lots of folks have small children. On normal telecommute days, we all absolutely have child care, and we book 8 hours of work. On snow days, the rules are different - everyone knows that we are just doing whatever we can. We do whatever work we can, we book that time as teleworking, and the other hours are booked as leave.

It's the same when people are sick - if you're contagious and can't come into work, you can work from home and you book whatever hours you actually work to work and other (nap) hours to sick.

I can tell you don't work for the government because your "rules" sound too reasonable

I DO work for the feds and in my agency, we can't work from home if we're sick. The thinking is that if you're too sick to come into the office, you're too sick to work at home. I'm highly allergic to poison ivy- the times I've gotten it, I haven't even had direct contact with the plant but got it from the oils on someone else. The nastiest rash covers me from head and toe. I am physically able to work, but usually don't go in to the office b/c it's disgusting to look at and people are disgusted. Yet I take sick leave. Same with pink eye- it's contagious and uncomfortable, but the ability to do work is not hampered by having it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It sux. We just cobble it together.

Thursday I took the day off and we went to Ski at liberty, half price Thursday! (I guess 10 minutes at the bus stop will kill them but 8 hours on the mountain didn't).

Usually we either bring them to work (friendly boss), take turns, phone a friend, or if they cancel early, the TKD place will open early for an all day camp.

Now that is doing a snow day right!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here: Okay, guess this is how it is. We will get to know our neighbors much more...

The idea of getting to know other working parents and rotating who takes time off is a great idea!

[Anonymous]

I DO work for the feds and in my agency, we can't work from home if we're sick.

What agency is this? That's ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

LOL 14:31. Our telecommuting rules are normally pretty rigid, but I think it helps us on snow days that my boss comes in from Eastern Maryland and my VP comes in from way out in Virginia. They can't get in (and both have kids), so nobody else is really expected to either.

The banding with other working parents can be great, too - I have a friend who generously offers to have me drop off my daughter at her house so I can hit the gym on snow days. It's a big help to me, but she says it's a big help to her too, because then our kids can play together and she doesn't have to entertain hers.

[Anonymous]

Snow days I will take my child to a daycare provider or full day camp. If this means I come in to work a few hours "late", so be it. I won't work for a company that isn't fine with these types of situations happening. Because there will be days I work late and don't expect nothing in return.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I wasn't aware they differentiated by age when it comes to child care. Do they?

20:09 here. I've worked at 2 different agencies. One explicitly stated in their telework policy that you needed child care to telework if you had non-school age children. My current agency does not have any such restrictions in their telework policy. In fact, the lame telework training video includes allowing employees flexibility in child care arrangements as an example of a benefit of telework. I know many people at many agency openly telework on days when their kids are sick or during school closings. It's not a hidden thing. Branch chiefs and ADCs do it too.

My kids are now 8 and 10. I can and have had conference calls with them home and also done all manner of work. Occasionally I'll turn on a TV show for them or get them a snack. In terms of lost time, I don't see how that is any different from getting a coffee from the break room or chatting with a co-worker about sports.

My school-age child is 17. Does that policy really mean that I cannot telework while he is in the house, unless another adult is here "taking care" of him?